§ MR. PAUL (Northampton)To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information his department receives through the Foreign Office from His Majesty's Consuls about the conditions of international business; and whether he can make the facts thus obtained more generally accessible to the mercantile community.
(Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) The Board of Trade receive a large amount of information from His Majesty's Consuls on commercial subjects partly through the Foreign Office and partly direct. One of the principal functions of the Advisory Committee on Commercial Intelligence, which largely consists of representatives of the mercantile community, is to devise means of making the information thus obtained more generally accessible to those whom it concerns. If my hon. friend can make any suggestions for this purpose I will take care that they are brought to the notice of the Committee.